Festivals in Granada

Fiesta de la Toma – (Festival of the Capture)

When: January 2

Festival Description: To celebrate the day that the Catholic Monarchs “liberated” Granada back in 1492, festivities include a colorful procession featuring 15th century period costumes, the raising of the monarchs’ banner at the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), and hoards of young people scrambling up the Alhambra’s Torre de la Vela to ring its bell.

Reyes Magos de Oriente – (Three Kings)

When: January 5-6

Festival Description: On January 5, Granada- particularly the children- welcomes the arrival of the Three Kings with a big parade called the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, where the three Biblical monarchs process through the city accompanied by a whole entourage of colorful characters. The next morning, January 6, is like the Spanish equivalent of Christmas day in the United States- full of presents begging to be opened!

Festival de San Cecilio

When: February 2

Festival Description: To celebrate the feast day of San Cecilio, Granada’s patron saint, a mass is held in the Abadía del Sacromonte (Sacromonte Abbey), where he is interred. Another big highlight of the festival is the gastronomic competitions- a great way to try the best of Granada’s mouth-watering food!

Semana Santa – (Holy Week)

When: March / April

Festival Description: Without a doubt, Spain´s most religious week. The town shuts down as people fill the streets to watch processions of their saints being carried down the streets to the solemn, emotional music and incense to ignite all the senses.

Cruces de Mayo – (Crosses of May)

When: May 3

Festival Description: The Festival of the May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo) is celebrated throughout Andalucia although it is in Cordoba and Granada where the most impressive displays occur. If you had to choose though, you should definitely check out this festival in Cordoba.

The festival consists of the construction of large crosses made of beautiful flowers in many of the city’s main squares.

In the true spirit of Spanish fiestas a temporary bar is built in the same square as the cross. This is where the locals congregate each evening for a good few drinks and tapas which inevitably leads to spontaneous flamenco style dancing into the early hours.

The celebration takes place during the first few days of May with the first weekend tending to be the busiest when visitors from all over Spain arrive to join in the party. The actual crosses which are around three meters high are made by the people of the neighborhood and the local town council runs a competition to find the best cross (Concurso de los Cruces de Mayo). In Cordoba alone there are some eighty crosses on display.

Aniversario de Mariana Pineda – (Mariana Pineda Anniversary)

When: May 25

Festival Description: Outdoor dancing and a variety of cultural events mark the anniversary of the death of Granada’s young political heroine Mariana Pineda. She was imprisoned and killed for her liberal beliefs, for conspiracy against the ultra-conservative government, and for her refusal to name her fellow liberal “conspirators.”

Corpus Christi

(Celebration of the Corpus Christi)

When: June – Thursday following Trinity Sunday

Festival Description: Corpus Christi is the Catholic holiday in honour of the presence of the body of Christ in the holy wafer. It is celebrated throughout Spain and is held in either May or June depending on when Easter occurs. To calculate the next Corpus Christi date, look for the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday (the eighth Sunday after Easter) and you’ll know when the fiesta is set to begin in towns and villages throughout Andalucia.

A solemn and magnificent procession bears the consecrated host through the streets. Although Corpus Christi is celebrated everywhere in Andalucia, it is most famous in Granada, where this religious celebration fused with the annual “feria” so many years ago.

The history of Corpus Christi in Granada is particularly interesting as the Catholic kings used it as a tool to Christianise a population that had been under Muslim rule for some eight centuries. According to historical accounts, they even instructed the town hall to invest large sums of money into the fiesta and urged the town to celebrate until they “appeared crazy”. Being the obedient citizens they were, the “Granadinos”, as they are known in Spanish, willingly complied.

In the beginning the people of Granada just celebrated the festival on the actual day of Corpus Cristi. However, in the 17th century someone had the bright idea of starting on the eve of the big day. From there it was only a matter of time before the religious event was merged with the annual fair in one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

Festival del Albaicín – (Albaicín Festival)

When: June 29

Festival Description: Like a scene straight out of the past, pilgrims in traditional garb arrive on horses and in horse-carriages to the Albaicín’s Ermita de San Miguel (San Miguel Hermitage).

Festival de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias – (Festival of Our Lady)

When: September (last Sunday of the month)

Festival Description: This festival, like many of Andalucía’s festivals, is religious-themed. To celebrate the Virgin Mary, a beautiful procession much like those of Semana Santa passes through the city.

Conmemoración del Descubrimiento de América – (Commemoration of the Discovery of America)

When: October 12

Festival Description: The discovery of America drastically changed Spain’s economic and political power- at least for a couple of centuries! To celebrate this important moment of Spanish history, Granada holds a festival featuring a flower offering at the Monumento de las Capitulaciones.

Nochebuena / Navidad – (Christmas Eve / Christmas)

When: December 24-25

Festival Description: Nochebuena (December 24) is celebrated amongst family and usually involves copious amounts of eating and drinking in what is usually the biggest meal of the year. While a present or two from Santa Claus might make their way into your hands on Navidad (December 25), the day is basically spent relaxing and recovering from the previous night’s activities.

Nochevieja – (New Years Eve)

When: December 31-January 1

Festival Description: After a big family meal, young people take to the streets and head to Granada’s main public squares- particularly the one in front of the Ayuntamiento (City Hall). Keep an eye on the clock and listen for the midnight chimes. The challenging and fully entertaining Spanish tradition is to eat twelve grapes- one with each chime of the clock- before uncorking the champagne and toasting everyone around you!

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